This invention relates to the underpinning of buildings which have settled, and, in particular, to pier driving brackets and pier support brackets which are used in underpinning the building.
Most residential and low rise commercial buildings do not have foundations which extend to bedrock. Rather, they have a footing on which the foundation wall sits. The footing is generally wider than the foundation wall, so as to distribute the weight of the building over a greater area. The foundation thus rests on soil which may shift. This in turn will cause the foundation to settle. Because the foundation generally does not settle evenly, cracks will undesirably develop in the foundation wall.
The partially settled foundation is generally repaired by driving piers down to the bedrock beneath the footing and jacking up the settled portion of the foundation so that it is even with the rest of foundation.
Various systems have been developed over the years to provide a method of supporting structures on pipes driven into the ground. What can be seen as a deficiency common to many of these systems is the fact that they use the same bracket to both drive the pier pipe into the ground and later support the building on top of the pier pipe. Elaborate bracket configurations are used at the top of the pier in many of these systems to accomplish this. Obviously, elaborate bracket arrangements are more complex of usage and application, and excessively costly to manufacture and acquire.
In some prior art underpinning assemblies, the pier is parallel to and adjacent the foundation, rather than beneath it. In these underpinning assemblies, one or two screws, pins or the like are driven through a pier driving/foundation supporting bracket and into the foundation wall to hold the foundation in place relative to the pier. This creates a great shearing force on the screws, which, after a period of time, could cause the screws to fail. It also mars the foundation walls.
Some examples of the types of prior art piering assemblies that are known in the art are as follows. For example, the patent to Gregory, U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,777 shows an apparatus and method for raising and supporting a building. As can be seen, and particularly in its FIG. 2, the apparatus includes a lifting arm means, that incorporates a retaining member which engages the lifting arm means, and which connects with the outer wall of the foundation or slab, as through a bolt configuration. In addition, pipe means extend adjacent the retaining member, driving means engage the upper portion of the pipe means, and this driving means is the disclosed clamp. A ram connects between the driving means of the lifting arm means, through various plates, and these rams are actuated for driving the pipe means into the ground until they encounter resistance. While this prior art patent discloses means for lifting of a foundation, or slab, it does so in a manner that is fabricated differently from the assembly of the current invention.
The patent to Rippe, U.S. Pat. No. 4,708,528, also discloses a process and apparatus for stabilizing foundations. As can be seen, and particularly upon reviewing its specification, it relates to the usage of a form of bracket that includes a sleeve which is held by a rod to the wall of a foundation to be stabilized, with the pier sections configured to fit within and slide easily through the sleeve of the bracket when driven by the jacking apparatus. The current invention operates differently, with discrete structure, for achieving a driving of pier sections to bedrock.
The patent to Langenbach, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,373, relates to a specific type of shoring system, and includes a series of piles, with the piles incorporating a plurality of footing structures, in order to provide supplemental support for the pile structures in further supporting the foundation through engagement of these footing structures with the soil, particularly when contact with bedrock may not be attained. The current invention does not utilize any type of footing structure, between pile sections, in its assembly.
Another patent to Langenbach, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 3,902,326, shows a device in the form of a foundation engaging means, incorporating a type of C-shaped bracket, which is used in combination with a particularly styled apparatus, that includes a power operated means for driving support means or pipe sections into the ground and to bedrock. Obviously, in this device, the hydraulic means, once it has been employed, is removable, but this is certainly true of almost all of the prior art devices known in this particular field. This patented device defines means for engaging the foundation having further means for receiving and guiding its support means, comprising various pipe sections, as they are driven into the ground. Furthermore, the patent defines that the means for engaging the foundation includes means for separately securing said support means thereto upon the latter engaging a load bearing underground strata. The current invention, on the other hand, releases it hydraulic means at that time, and replaces it with a jack and ratchet screw arrangement. Once the current invention attains contact with the bedrock, upon driving of its pipe sections downwardly into the ground, it is not necessary to shore up the foundation, as called for in the claims of this particular patent. One just removes the hydraulic means, before any final shoring occurs, and attains final shoring through the usage of its various ratchet screws and jacks, thereafter.
The patent to Breuchaud, U.S. Pat. No. 570,370 shows a construction of supports for walls. It utilizes a type of support for connection with a foundation wall, being the shown beam, and then utilizes a hydraulic jack for driving tubular columns into the earth until support is attained.
The patent to Gillespie, U.S. Pat. No. 598,418 shows a construction of supports for building walls, or the like, and once again utilizes hydraulic jacks for driving columns into the earth, with the hydraulic jacks cooperating with transverse beams or girders, that rest under the building wall, for providing support during installation of the columns.
The patent to Goldsborough, U.S. Pat. No. 1,063,869, shows another method for underpinning buildings. It utilizes hydraulic rams, arranged under the foundation wall and its footing, for driving the beams into the subsoil, and apparently down to bedrock.
The patent to White, U.S. Pat. No. 1,217,128 shows a method of providing substructures for buildings, and once again, it utilizes the hydraulic jack in cooperation with the blocking means that rest upon a cap which is provided upon the top of piles, for driving them down to bedrock.
The patent to Phelps, U.S. Pat. No. 1,279,901, discloses a form of house jack, which is this particular instance, is probably simply a jack means for use for raising the house, as when it is being moved, or for supporting a part of its foundation.
The patent to Gooder, U.S. Pat. No. 1,705,612, shows another method for underpinning of a building wall, through the use of its shown jack screws.
The patent to Lenahah, U.S. Pat. No. 2,322,855 shows another method and apparatus for raising and permanently supporting heavy structures. Once again, it utilizes the combination of its shown jack, which apparently is of the hydraulic type, in combination with a cap, that fits under a located lifting member, for use for raising the foundation wall, or what is identified as a pier, apparently through the driving of pipe sections into the ground.
The patent to Revesz, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 2,982,103, shows another method and apparatus for underpinning a building. It utilizes a device of the type that is apparently affixed to the side of the foundation wall, by attachment of a wall plate, and then utilizes a hydraulic jack in cooperation with a load plate that is attached to the wall bracket, urging the various pipe sections into the ground.
The patent to Heacox, U.S. Pat. No. 3,685,301, shows another complex process and apparatus for installation of jack piles.
The patent to Mahoney, U.S. Pat. No. 3,796,055, shows another method and apparatus for underpinning and raising a building. This particular patented structure is pertinent because it does show the usage of a form of bracket, which obviously slips under the foundation wall, and then utilizes a hydraulic cylinder apparently for driving pipe pile sections into the ground, through the usage of the clamp, and once that is achieved, the pipe sections are capped with a member, apparently concreted in place, and then a series of extendable support soldiers, and which appear to be in the form of ratchet screws, are located into position to support the foundation wall in preparation for its concreting in place.
The patent to Cassidy, U.S. Pat. No. 3,852,970, shows another form of building raising and underpinning system. The system of this disclosure is similar to the structure and functioning of the earlier patents defined, particularly the Revesz patented device. Once again, though, the structure of this device defines a building raising or underpinning structure that comprises a series of attaching wall plates.
Another patent to Cassidy, U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,867, shows further modification upon his particularly styled pile driven support for supporting a foundation wall.
The patent to David, U.S. Pat. No. 4,338,047 discloses a system for pier underpinning of a settling foundation. It utilizes the concept in combination with hydraulic rams, and jack screws for supporting a settling foundation. These are located underneath the foundation wall, and then cemented in place once formed.
The patent to Murray, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,069, shows an apparatus for positioning and stabilizing a concrete slab. This particular device is apparently extended directly through a concrete slab, to support it from settling, and is not necessarily used in combination with any type of footing or foundation wall.
Another patent to Langenbach, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,563,110, shows a form of shoring apparatus and method. As can be seen, apparently this particular device is used for shoring concrete floors or slabs, and is quite different from the subject matter of this current invention.
A further patent to Murray, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,591,466, shows a method for positioning and stabilizing a concrete slab, which is related to the earlier U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,069.
The patent to May, U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,319, shows a method and apparatus for lifting and supporting structures, and includes a vertically positioned pier driven in the ground adjacent the building structure, and having an upper end proximal to the base of the building structure. A pier plate unit is fitted over the upper end of the driven pier. The pier plate unit acts in cooperation with a shoe attaching to the base of the building structure, with the shoe being implaced in overlying relationship to the pier plate unit. It then utilizes a temporary lifting means between the pier plate unit, and the shoe, for initially lifting the shoe and therefore the building structure. The current invention, to the contrary, simply utilizes a load bearing bracket which is removably placed around jack screws, and not a complex of structures in the category of pier plate units and shoes, as shown in this prior art.
The patent to Shaw, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,315, shows another apparatus for raising and supporting a building, and in this particular device, there is included specific structure in the form of a tubular guide means, with a pipe assembly extending through the guide means, in order to attain foundation or slab support.
The patent to Gregory U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,203, shows another method and apparatus for shoring a building foundation, and the apparatus as defined utilizes a form of tubular guide, having the pipe assembly section extending through it, to attain support for the foundation or slab.
The patent to Cox, U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,097, shows a type of stanchion for use in conjunction with the support of a mobile home.
The patent to Thorpe, U.S. Pat. No. 3,222,030, shows a floor structure elevating device.
The patent to Landers, U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,792, shows a system for stabilizing structural elements. This device, while showing lifting means, as for use in combination with a concrete wall, apparently is for use for raising and supporting a load bearing structural element through the usage of spacer screws.
Finally, the patent to May, U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,782, shows another type of apparatus for lifting structures. This device provides for the relative displacement between the shoe and a sleeve that is fitted over the upper end of the pier, and then temporarily lifts these two components with respect to each other, before adding a permanent supporting means therein.
In the systems of the prior art which bolt the pier driving bracket foundation wall to guide the piers into the ground, the pier pipes may be skewed. This results because the wall has settled and may not be in a proper position to guide the pier segment vertically into the ground.